Sports Supplements > Top 10 Supplements > Optimale Testosterone Test Kit

This is really a male hormone test, so it includes three saliva strips so you can also know your:

• Estradiol level. This is essential for making sense of the testosterone reading, which by itself can be misleading.
• Nitric oxide levels. Nitric oxide is critical for controlling blood flow and tissue oxygenation. These processes are important for protecting the heart, creating and maintaining erections, and increasing physical performance.
• DHEA. Low DHEA levels indicate chronic stress, which can play a role in lowering your T/E ratio.

With all levels of all four of these, it is possible to develop a proper program for correcting the problems.

I paid $300 for a blood-based testosterone test plus the doctor's office visit fee. So being able to get a testosterone test using a kit that costs less than half the doctor's office fee is one heck of a bargain!

Yes, and the doctor typically won't test for the other three related hormones at the same time. And the results he does get back are for the wrong thing!

Testosterone exists in serum (blood test method) both free and bound to albumin and to sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) (testosterone binding globulin). Unbound (free) testosterone is the active moiety.

With a blood-based testosterone assay (which measures both bound and unbound levels), something undesired can happen in certain settings: total testosterone can be normal, but free testosterone outside normal parameters. This means the results are misleading. You could have abnormally high or low active testosterone but not know it despite being tested!

The saliva-based test removes that error.

In addition to being less expensive and more practical than blood testing, what's really important for you to know is salivary assessments measure the active (bioavailable) levels of hormones rather than the inactive (total or bound) levels of hormones.

• Know for sure if your fitness supplementation program is working.
• See just how much your core exercises are raising your testosterone.
• See if you are overtraining or possibly undertraining.
• Know whether your body is making enough testosterone for proper bone health.
• Get early indication of male gonad disorders or dysfunctions.
• Identify low testosterone levels so you can take proper corrective action.
• Identify low DHT levels so you can take proper corrective action (DHT test costs about $30 extra, but uses the same sample).
• Identify low levels of other important hormones, using the same sample (for modest extra fees).

• Reduce libido.
• Increase body fat.
• Increase recovery times and muscle soreness following hard training.
• Increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Increase your risk of prostate disease.
• Leave you feeling fatigued, irritable, or apathetic.

The proper balance of DHEA and cortisol make up the body's inner defense against the pressures of stress, helping your body adapt in a healthy manner.

You might want to read the hormone information that comes with the Optimale Kit.

That doesn't mean more is better, just that you need enough testosterone for the essential signaling function. Write on your test form that you are a woman, and the lab will notify you if follow-up is needed.

• Diet. Read your labels. Don't eat anything that contains any of the following testosterone-reducing substances: high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, bleached flour, bromated flour, or corn syrup solids. Avoid sugar, as well--it boosts insulin, which depresses testosterone.
   
• Rest. Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. This is a core factor at the root of the stupidity epidemic that has recently caught the attention of the media. It is also a barrier to testosterone production, partly because it raises the level of testosterone-antagonistic cortisol.
   
• Work your core. This means doing squats or deadlifts twice a month (no more than that, or you actually lower testosterone) and doing them with intensity (read this intensity article).